Gang-machine.



A. O. THOMAS.

GANG MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1907.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

AUGUSTUS O. THOMAS, OF KEARNEY, NEBRASKA.

GANG-MACHIN E Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 18, 1907.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

Serial No. 379,649.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS O. THoMAs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kearney, in the county of Bufialo and State of Nebraska,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gang-Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to gang machines, and particularly contemplates theprovision of a mold which will obviate the use of pallets, which may betransferred from place to place, and in which the mold and its shoe maybe quickly and easily removed from the molded form.

The object of my present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensiveand easily operated structure for molding a plurality of bricks orsimilar forms.

My invention specifically resides in the following features ofconstruction, arrangement, and operation as hereinafter described withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals are usedto in dicate like parts in the several views, and in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is an endelevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section showing the mold andits shoe in plan view, and Fig. l is a plan view of a portion of themold shoe.

In the practical embodiment of my invention I provide side frames 1having rollers 52 mounted thereon, in order that the mold may betransferred quickly from place to place, and rigidly connected to thestandards 3 at both ends thereof. The standards 3 cxtend in the form ofa yoke from the central standards 4.

Between the frames 1 is located the mold body 5 having a plurality ofopenings 6 therethrough, of any suitable form or design for thereception of the material to be molded. A shoe 7 is provided with aplurality of mold pieces 8 adapted to fit the openings 6 within the mold5.

The central standards 4: are provided with longitudinally extendingslots 9, through which is mounted a shaft 10. The upper ends of thestandards at are preferably united by a horizontal arm 11 on which areprovided bearings 12 for the reception of bell crank levers 13, thevertical arms of said levers being preferably united by a connecting rod1 1, while the horizontal arms thereof are connected to the shaft 10 bymeans of jointed rods 15. A handle 16 serves to operate said bell cranklevers to draw said shaft upward within the slots 9, and further to drawthe shoe 7 upward therewith from the mold body 5 by means of theconnecting arms 16 arranged between said shoe and said sliding shaft 10.The connections, however, with said sliding shaft 10 are of such natureas to permit of its rotation, and I preferably provide a curved lever17, pivoted intermediate its ends to said shaft and forming an operatinghandle 18 at one end thereof. The other end of said lever 17 ispivotally connected to a bracket 19, rigidly carried upon the shoe 7 bymeans of which said shoe may be moved to one side of the mold out of theway of the workman by the use of said lever 17 when the sliding shaft 10has been raised by means of the lever 16 and its connections. Thisoperation will, of course, take place after the material has beencompressed within the mold openings 6.

The mold body 5 is provided with a plurality of vertical guide rods 20arranged through lugs 21 in the upper portions of standards 3, and saidmold body 5 is further connected at both ends thereof by means of loosepivotal links 21 to the ends of operating rods 22, pivoted intermediatetheir ends on the standards 3. By this means it will be seen that afterthe material has been molded, and the shoe 7 removed from the mold asdescribed, the mold body 5 may be raised vertically by means of theoperating rods 22, the connections 21 and the guides 20, to withdraw thesame from the material, allowing the molded form to remain upon theground. \Vhen this is accomplished, the entire mechanism may be shiftedto the next place of molding, if it be so desired, by means of therollers 2 located upon the stationary side frames.

\Vhile the elements herein shown are well adapted to perform thefunctions described, it will be readily seen that numerous minor changesmay be made in the construction throughout the mechanism withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention and the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus fully described my invention I claim:

1. In a gang mold, the combination of a pair of roller mounted sideframes, standards rigidly secured to and extending upwardly from saidframes, a mold body arranged within said side frames, a shaft 1'0-tatively mounted to slide vertically within said standards, a mold shoearrangec upon said mold body, connecting rods secured to said shoe andjournaled on said shaft, a lever mechanism for raising said shaft, alever for swinging said shoe to one side, and a lever for raising saidmold body in said standards, substantially as described.

2. In a gang molding machine, the combination of a pair of rollermounted side frames, standards extending upwardly therefrom, a mold bodyarranged Within said side frames, a shaft rotatably mounted to slideVertically in said standards, a mold shoe arranged upon said mold body,connections between said shoe and said shaft whereby the former may beraised and swung to one side, mechanism carried by said standards forraising said shaft, and mechanism also carried by said standards forraising said mold body therein, substantially as described.

3, In a gang molding machine, the combination of a pair of rollermounted side frames, standards rigidly secured to and eX tendingupwardly from said frames, a mold body arranged within said frames,ashaft rotatably mounted to slide vertically within said standards, amold shoe arranged upon said mold body, connecting rods secured to saidshoe and journaled on said shaft, mechanism carried bysaid standards forraising said shaft, mechanism carried by said shaft for swinging saidshoe to one side, and mechanism carried by said standards for raisingsaid mold body therein, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

AUGUSTUS O. THOMAS. \Vitnesses Gno. N. PORTER, SARA L. GARRETT.

